FOR IDLI,DOSA BATTER

FOR IDLI,DOSA BATTER Idly rice/Boiled rice /Puzhunghal arisi – 4 cups ( the ratio of rice & dal is 6:1.. I use 8:1 for good quality dal) Urad dal – 1/2 - 3/4 cup (depends on the quality of dal) Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp Crystal Salt/Kallu uppu – 1 handful (to taste) Water – As needed Method in wet grinder Wash and soak the rice .Wash and soak urad dal & methi seeds together. Soak  for 2 hrs  . Grind urad dal with fenugreek seeds first by adding enough water in between.Make sure u add water every now & then so that the urad dal rises well and u'll get a light , fluffy batter. Please do not add all the water in the beginning.For grinding urad dal , u need 1.5 - 2 cups of water in total . Grind till it comes out like a ball(should be a paste) (It takes nearly 15-20 mins in table-top wet grinder).Now remove .Keep it in a big vessel so that it holds double the quantity of batter.  Add the rice & crystal salt with 1/2 cup of water while the grinder is running. Add water in the middle (Whenever necessary).It should become a smooth paste (May take 20-25 mins in table-top). The water it consumes will be around 2.5 cups.Adjust ..Now remove the rice and put it in the same vessel. Mix it thoroughly with ur hand.(This helps for fermentation) .Let the batter ferments overnight or at least for 12 hrs. The next morning , don’t mix the batter again. Even if it is over flown,take the extra batter in a separate vessel. Use a ladle and start taking from one side and pour it into the idly mould. Even the next day,take the batter from the same side.IDLI remains very soft up to 3 days. Steam it in the idly pot for 10-15mins and serve hot with sambar!! If u want to make dosa with the same batter , take the required quantity of batter separately in a bowl and add little water( 1/4 cup) to make it thin and make dosas. U'll get a crispy dosa for sure !! NOTE: Poha/Aval is optional.U can use based on the quality of rice & urad dhal.Add 1/4 cup of poha for the above recipe if u wish to use it.. Follow this method and enjoy eating soft idlies:)

TIPS FOR CRISPY DOSA (Like in restaurants)

• Dry roast 1 cup of Sago/Sabudana/Javvarisi and powder it. Add just 2 tsp into the batter ,mix well and make ur dosa.It will be very crispy:)This is the secret of restaurant dosa;)
• For getting the golden crust for dosas, add little sugar or pinch of jaggery in the dosa batter..
• To get crispy dosas with less oil : after pouring the dosa batter , spread it well, keep the flame high for 2 mins. The sides will lift. Now flip the dosa , cook in sim flame. Remove.
• One more method is , just keep the flame high after spreading the batter, close the dosa tawa with a lid and cook for sometime. No need to flip.Just remove n serve hot.By this way , u'll get a nice golden colored crispy dosa !!